Steady Hands

[galloping-gourmet]

Thought I’d cross post this with Dressage, any and all tips and exercises will be greatly appreciated…

Does anyone have any specific tips on getting really steady hands…I need help there.

My horse is a bit lazy, so I work to keep him in front of leg, and I think unconsciously, I loosen my contact so he can go forward…

It’s getting better, as his mouth gets really foamy now (it didn’t used to), but he tends to lift his head and has incorrect muscling.

He is a big long Perch/TB cross, so not the easiest to ‘get together’…

Thank you in advance…

[Judysmom]

Last horse I had was wicked lazy. Born lazy type and was difficult to get him in front of my leg. I would just remind myself that I take contact though my back and abs, runs into my seat. I would actively concentrate on soft, moving elbows, and every time I took contact with my arms, I would make myself soften and take it through my back. Once I did that, I had appropriate contact and rein length.

[subk]

Ride with a crop across the top of your hands held in place under your thumbs. Ride kepping the crop steady and level. Every move you make with your hands will be magnified by the motion of the crop. Once you see it it will help you stop it.

[Willesdon]

Visualization really helps.

First thing, just play around and find out how much you can work your horse on a minimal contact. Starting, stopping, turning, speed are all controlled from your seat and legs. I will often teach a rider for an hour and not mention the reins once - and the horse is turning, stopping etc. By forgetting about the hands, it becomes possible to be more relaxed in your upper body and then the contact becomes softer.

This next bit is really hard to explain. With a partner, use something long, like a set of reins or a lunge line, and each hold it as you would the reins. Facing each other, move the ‘reins’ back and forth in a rhythm as if riding. What you are looking for is a balanced, reciprocal movement between both ends, both people. Then just play around again. One person clench their hands tight, or chuck away the contact, or stiffen their shoulders, or drop their hands too low. The other person will feel the effect this has on the horse. Very illuminating. Another way is to learn to long-rein from the ground.

Then when riding, remember what you felt when doing the interactive ‘rein’ thingy and visualize your hands carrying a tray with drinks on it. Whenever you carry a tray you have to move your shoulders, elbows to keep the balance. Note, however, you do NOT move your hands or alter the grip because the tray will tilt and the drinks fall. The tray is steady going up stairs and around corners.

[PaintedHunter]

I just want to say I am right there with you on this issue! Yay, molasses horses!

[galloping-gourmet]

Thanks everyone! I took him for a New Year’s trail ride yesterday and he was UP! It was much easier to keep a soft nice round contact with him so forward. Lots to work on…Thanks again.

[HorseKrazy]

I also have a big and looooong horse, and I struggle with forward contact with him as well. Maybe it would help to establish forward first, then move that into contact?

[asterix]

I have had a big lazy horse for years. Channeling all the coaches and clinicians I’ve ever ridden with, YES on the forward first!

[purplnurpl]

this thread is confusing to me. which is exactly why I’m posting. lol.

What is wrong with your contact?
What does steady and unsteady mean to you?

I think of the term “steady” as more of a contact thing.
And contact is the horse’s job…once it has been taught to correctly maintain contact by it’s trainer. The horse should be steady with it’s contact…

As for the rider. The hand should always maintain the horse’s contact and always be a giving hand.
For instance–the horse’s head nods at the walk and canter. I call them row-boat gaits. They require the rider to give with each stride through his/her elbow. Where as in the trot the horse does not nod, therefore the rider’s elbow is less dynamic but the hand must remain soft and fingers giving to hold, vibrate and/or give as needed to maintain the horse’s balance.

So it sounds to me like your horse has an issue with maintaining steady contact. He doesn’t step into the contact therefore gives you nothing to maintain OR he bounces around on the contact making your hands lose the feel. If he were steady on the bridle (on the bridle being the same as “contact”) then you would have contact to work with and you would feel more secure in your hands.

Also, a horse can be steady on the bit even when under powered. A horse can properly hold the bit and hold contact without being properly through.

So maybe does your horsey get a bit stiff and just not want to accept contact? Maybe he needs some work on the lunge to loosen and soften him up?

Not sure, just thinking out loud.
Maybe you can clear up my confusion a bit. : )

[galloping-gourmet]

Thanks for the responses, Purp, I know he isn’t steady on the contact because I’m too ‘handsy’. i.e. I think I loosen the reins and probably don’t add leg when trying to move him up to a distance, or get more impulsion. (unconsciously, because I’ve been corrected for it)

Also, I know I tend to move more than I should in an effort to get him going, elbows sometimes get to flapping! So the poor boy is generous and I’m sure it is my inconsistent hands that have him confused as to where/how to seek contact with me.

I do know that I need to work on his response time to all aids, ie, leg means ‘go’, etc, so I don’t end up doing his job…not sure if any of that makes sense.

[frugalannie]

Snowed in (24 inches plus overnight, 4 degrees actual temp, windchill pushing 20 below), bored, and trying to clarify my thoughts on the OPs question(s) for myself. So forgive me if I get a little off the line.

To me it seems that the first problem is horse is not responding to the leg enough to stay ahead of it. So fix that first. What I focus on when I have that issue (which is fairly often) is being consistent and accurate in my aids. I’ll put on some leg, gently. If I get no response, a bit more leg. No or insufficient response, the same amount of leg followed up instantly with a tap of the whip behind the leg. No response gets more insistent tapping until a response is had and then a hearty pat on the neck with a “good pony”. I don’t “nag” with my leg. Between requests, my leg has a very soft contact with the horse and I don’t grip because releasing the aid is just as important as applying it. This gets repeated until I get a forward response to very light aids. The objective is a horse that will give a consistent forward impulse with minimal effort from me. I am a lazy rider.

Depending on how much the horse ignores the leg (if really bad, we just go for any forward response for a few repetitions), my dressage guru will generally have me maintain totally steady hands throughout the above exercise. How? Glad you asked! We adjust the reins to a length that should allow correct contact without overflexing the horse for its level of training. Then my job is to hold the saddle pad in front of the saddle with a couple of fingers on each hand while keeping the same length rein. Rein length is not allowed to slip even a millimeter. Think side reins. I know, this sounds dreadful. But in fact, it provides a steady place for the horse to seek contact while we’re focussing on obedience to the leg aid. And it’s really amazing how quickly this works. Once I can pull off a couple of upward and downward transitions from a light leg aid without the horse hollowing out, I’m allowed to release the saddle pad. Lo and behold, my horse and I are much improved and I can be steady and soft with all of my aids.

Thank you for indulging me. I’m going to print this out so I can refer to it on my next ride, once this ice age has passed.

[purplnurpl]

[QUOTE=galloping-gourmet;7349977]
Thanks for the responses, Purp, I know he isn’t steady on the contact because I’m too ‘handsy’. i.e. I think I loosen the reins and probably don’t add leg when trying to move him up to a distance, or get more impulsion. (unconsciously, because I’ve been corrected for it)

Also, I know I tend to move more than I should in an effort to get him going, elbows sometimes get to flapping! So the poor boy is generous and I’m sure it is my inconsistent hands that have him confused as to where/how to seek contact with me.

I do know that I need to work on his response time to all aids, ie, leg means ‘go’, etc, so I don’t end up doing his job…not sure if any of that makes sense.[/QUOTE]

It’s a tough spot for sure. It’s all a catch 22. You can’t put a horse in a frame without them coming into the contact and you can’t get them into the contact unless you hold the bit.

People always talk about riding back to front blah blah blah.

Personally the first thing I do is pick up my reins. Then I make my horse go.
Which most people would call “backwards” riding.
But what good is adding leg if you aren’t kicking your horse up into anything?

I never expressed that way of thinking because I was embarrassed then last year I read an article by Steffen Peters and he said the same thing. “It’s all about the contact” is what he said. The article made me feel proud.

here’s a nice tid bit with a little bit of the situation addressed.
http://www.dressagedaily.com/article/steffen-peters-defines-contact-and-connection-2013-usdf-trainers-conference

I know I wrote down what he said in a journal somewhere…I"ll have to go find it.

Here is one thing I always think about when I ride (I’m almost always on 3 and 4 year olds)
I have to hold the bit still so the horse can “find” it. That’s how I teach the horse where to be.
Youngsters tend to bounce around a little bit when they are learning and if I’m bouncing around the horse will never be able to find the bit.

Sounds like maybe you need to ride with pig stickers sometimes. (that’s what I call 1 3/8" spurs) ; ) If he’s being a pig, time for pig stickers.